ONGOING power cuts threaten “challenging” conditions for the disabled and elderly residents of Wellington.

Residents in the Wellington area have faced an onslaught of power cuts in the past two months, at times affecting almost 7,000 homes and businesses.

The first of six reported outages since the beginning of June, saw faults in traffic light systems and mobile networks in and around the town.

Hospitals and nursing and retirement homes were also impacted, as well as the residences of disabled and elderly members of the community.

Those reliant on electricity-dependent durable medical equipment were immediately impacted, including one town resident who says they’ve been left with “constant worry”.

The resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “Due to the power cuts we have recently faced I wasn't able to use my medical equipment.

“I had a bad chest infection and wasn't able to use my home nebuliser to help me breath better and I had my medication in my fridge I was worried about.

“These power cuts have caused constant worry and left me thinking when the next power cut will happen. This is added anxiety on top of my already negative health.

“I also had to be carried downstairs by my 24-hour carer due to being left unable to use my stairlift putting my carer at risk.”

Those reliant on medical equipment face the most immediate risks, but many disabled and elderly people are also dependent on a controlled temperature environment or on others to undertake daily living activities.

Manager of Nynehead Court, Kim Horton said: “Power outages have a significant impact on care homes like Nynehead Court, as they disrupt the proper functioning of essential medical equipment required to meet the needs of our residents.

“While our dedicated staff work tirelessly to manage the situation, it remains a challenging circumstance that adds considerable pressure to daily operations.”